An Update

Crew is a month old (plus a few days) now. He is now home. He actually came home two weeks ago with a feeding tube in place in his nose. Shawn and I stayed the night at the hospital and got to practice taking care of him . . . feeding him through the tube, operating the machinery to pump the milk into him, checking the placement of the tube in his stomach by using a stethescope to listen while we blow about 2 ccs of air into his stomach to listen for the whoosh sound to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be. We also had to practice inserting a new tube into his nose and down his esophagus. A little scary the first time but not too horrible.
It is wonderful having him home!! We don't sleep much but it's a small price to pay. It was so fun to watch Mia with her new baby brother when we brought him home. We had purchased a new doll and doll stroller, swing, crib, bottles, diaper bag, etc. for her to play with while I was taking care of Crew . . . so she could mimic us and hopefully keep her entertained. She's no fool. As soon as we gave her these new toys with the intent of keeping her occupied for the first time, she threw them to the side, came up to me and held out her arms, wanting the real baby. Unfortunately, not much has changed since then and still wants to hold the real baby instead of her dolls. Fortunately, Mia doesn't seem jealous. She wants to give kisses and hugs. She tried to share her fishies (translated: goldfish crackers) with him yesterday and shoved one almost down his throat. Thankfully Julie caught it in time and got it out. Mia is having a hard time adjusting to mom and dad being less available and is quite the expert at saying "NO!" She'll be two next week so it may have been inevitable regardless.
We'll post some pics, showing him with his button (which has now been removed making him much happier) and photos since then. Stay tuned...

Welcome Crew!

Crew was born September 25th just before 8:00 am. He weighed 9.04 and was measured at 21 1/4 inches. We have had a little bit of a rough beginning. Crew has a medical condition known as Pierre Robin Sequence. Basically he has a cleft palate (not a cleft lip) and a extra small jaw which makes it so his tongue is placed too far back in his mouth so he has trouble breathing/eating. Natalie is home from the hospital now. Crew is still in the NICU at Medical City hospital - he was transferred a couple of days ago. Tomorrow (Thursday) he will undergo surgery to attach his tongue to his lower lip (probably for about 9 months) so we can stop worrying about his tongue falling back into his throat. He'll be able to suck and eat like any normal baby and we will be able to put him on his back and treat him like a normal baby without worrying about his airways or having him constantly on a monitor. They'll separate the tongue and lip at the same time that they fix his cleft palate which they will do at about 9 months of age. Babies grow so quickly that his jaw should be big enough in that 9 months to accommodate his tongue, alleviating the danger of suffocation.

He is a happy, sweet baby and such a joy for us. We're just sad to have to leave him in the hospital and we're sad that Mia hasn't officially met him yet. She did get to see him through the glass and is starting to understand a little bit who "Baby Crew" is. I can't wait for him to come home so she can be a big sister.

Please keep little Crew in your prayers.

Thanks for Visiting, Ang!

My sister Angela came to town last week. She was here for my birthday which was the best gift I could have received! Unfortunately, it's still summer here in Texas which means it's too blazing hot to go out of doors for more than a minute, so we didn't do anything too exciting. We showed her where JFK was shot, we went shopping for home decor, purses and clothes. We went out to eat a couple of times. On my birthday she and I went to the temple, to lunch and then shopping. She became Mia's new best friend (Mia completely forgot about me as long as Ang was around). :) It was wonderful having her here. I'm so sad she had to go home - it felt so normal to have her here. Thanks for coming Ang - we miss you already!

Utah Trip

After visiting Colorado, and LOVING the gorgeous mountains and weather, I decided I needed to visit Utah one last time before the baby comes and before Mia turns two (and is no longer free to fly). So Mia and I went for a visit while Shawn stayed home and worked (I know, that was hardly fair - thanks Shawn for letting us go!). We went to Wheeler Farm and Mia LOVED the animals and time with her cousins. We went to the mountains a couple of times (I MISS the mountains!) and made tin foil dinners and had s'mores. For the 24th of July, all of the extended family on one side came over to party and it was wonderful to see everyone again. We made individual portions of homemade ice cream which was so yummy (and there was leftovers which probably explains some of the weight I brought home to Texas with me!) :) Angela (my sis) and her kids spent lots of time with us and Mia loved getting to be with her cousins! My family threw a baby shower for me and we made a quilt. I saw friends and family. We played on the nice soft Utah grass (grass is weird in Texas). We had a wonderful time ... thanks everyone for making time for us!

A Lizard Underneath the Bed

Last night Shawn came into our bedroom (on the second story of our house), walked over to the bed and then exclaimed "I think I just saw a lizard!" We looked under the bed and couldn't find anything. He was certain that whatever he saw had a tail. So I was wondering if he saw a small mouse, I mean, how likely is a lizard? I was just relieved to know that if it had a tail, that ruled out the gigantic spider option. But then he said, "I just hope it's not a scorpion, those have tails and are about that color..." eww, gross! Scorpions are worse than spiders!! So we started moving the mattress and everything else because you can't go to sleep not knowing what, that might be a lizard, mouse, scorpion, or who knows what, is under your bed! Fortunately, before we got too far into the process, I moved a book and a little TINY lizard, about one-inch long ran out. Fortunately, I think lizards are cute and didn't mind catching it and setting it free in the back yard. Shawn wanted to kill it - you can't kill a cute TINY little helpless lizard. My lizard friend couldn't hurt anything more than little tiny bugs or spiders ... and the fact that he could kill spiders makes him worth saving to me.

Mia's New "Big Girl Bed"

On Saturday (two days ago) we moved Mia's crib out of her room and built her new toddler bed. She helped as much as it's possible for a 20-month old to help. We were really worried about how she'd do with the transition but our fear was needless. It turns out she's still as much of an angel baby as she ever was. Saturday night I laid her down after saying prayers, gave her her binky and walked out. She didn't fuss; she didn't get out of bed. Even in the morning, she didn't get out of bed until I came to get her. The same has held true for naps and bedtimes since then. Hopefully things stay this way. We are definitely counting our blessings on this one!

Denver Trip (continued...)

The 4th of July we saw the movie Wall-E (Mia especially loved the previews), spent time with family, did fireworks in the backyard, took the dogs to "Doggie Disneyland" (actually Lake Chatfield but we call it Doggie Disneyland) and had a great day.









On Saturday, we went to the Rockies game which was a lot of fun. Mia tried cotton candy for the first time and was a big fan. In fact, later, when we passed the stands where you could buy it, she would point at it and say "yum!"

Denver Trip

For the fourth of July, we went to Denver (10 days total) to see some of Shawn's family and to do some camping. Our first two days there we recuperated from the 13 hour drive through the night while Mia enjoyed the soft normal grass of Colorado and played outside.



Then we went camping up in Estes Park in the Rocky Mountain National Forest (Shawn and I honeymooned in Estes Park so it has special meaning for us). Mia loved playing in the dirt and I LOVED being in the mountains. I told Shawn that I thought I had finally adjusted to Texas life but I was going to have to start all over again after being in those gorgeous mountains. We did a few meals in camp but we kindof cheated since we were so close to town and went out to some nice meals too. It was alot of work (and I did the least of it since I have pregnancy as an excuse and I had to watch Mia) but it was alot of fun. The only thing that I'd do different next time is leave the dogs at home. Annie whined and barked and caused a general ruckus for a good portion of the time.





Silly dogs - I told Annie to "kennel up" and all three dogs got in before I could stop them.



I'll have to finish posting later; I've got to leave for a Doctor's appointment. To be continued...

Twilight Obsession

I have recently become obsessed with the Twilight books. Every time Shawn sees me reading them he says "you're reading those books AGAIN!?!" I won't say they are the best-written books ever, but they are incredibly fun and light (did I say fun!) reading. The fourth in the series comes out shortly (Breaking Dawn), you can see my countdown below. I can't wait!!! Stephenie Meyer's other book, The Host, I also recommend. It is nothing like the Twilight books but also enjoyable.

Okay, my countdown didn't work on this page but I'm doing my own personal countdown to August 2nd!

Missing You Mom, On Your Birthday

Today is my Mom's birthday and I wish that I could be in Utah to celebrate with her. Many of you now know, from reading my dad's birthday post, that I have the greatest dad in the world. What you may not know, is that I also have the greatest mother in the world. My mother is the sweetest woman that I know, above any one else. My mother is generous and selfless. She is patient and kind. She embodies every good virtue. She is my example of faith and love and trust in Jesus Christ. She is my best friend and confidant. She is the voice in my head reminding me to do what is right. She is everything I hope I can be as a mother.

I love you, Mom. Happy Birthday!

Mia Pics

Our little scholar...

We Love Grandpa Too!

Shawn's Dad came into town this weekend and though it was a short trip, it was great to see him. He brought Mia a toy dog that identifies various body parts and Mia will not be separated from it. We went out to dinner a few times, checked out where JFK was assassinated, and had some nice visits. Thanks Steve for coming to see us!

We Love Grandma!

My mom came to visit us for the first time a couple of days before we went to New York and then she stayed at our house to watch Mia while we were out of town. It was such a relief to leave Mia in her hands, I didn't worry at all!, and once we were in New York I was so glad that we didn't have Mia with us (although we missed her terribly), but New York is definitely not a vacation for toddlers! I wish that Mom could have stayed longer but it was wonderful to have her here! I can't wait for October for her next visit!!

New York Trip

Well, we are back from New York visiting Julie and David and we had a wonderful time! We got there on Wednesday and after getting settled went straight into the city to check out Times Square and Shawn and I went to the musical "Legally Blonde" which was hilarious. On Thursday Julie and David came with us and we took a ferry out past the Statue of Liberty, went shopping on Canal Street where I bought a Dulce & Gabana purse (wink, wink) and Shawn hunted for a rolex. We then toured Little Italy (trying Canoli (sp?) for the first time) and China Town. On Friday Shawn and I went to the top of the Rockerfeller Center's look out point and checked out the city. I couldn't believe how utterly massive New York is. It never ends!! Saturday we saw "Mamma Mia" with Julie and David which was entertaining but, surprisingly, Legally Blonde was better. Afterward, Shawn and I went to the temple for a little while and then we all went to a restaurant called Max Brennars, Chocolate by the Bald Man (which I'm now craving on a daily basis!) On Sunday we went to Central Park which is amazing in and of itself. We had a picnic and played with a frisbee and on the way back to the car, Shawn and David played football in the streets of Manhattan (in between lights when there was no traffic, of course). We had a great trip. Thanks Julie and David for being such fun hosts!! We miss you guys already!

It's A Boy!

We had our ultrasound this morning and it appears that we're having a boy! Shawn is elated. He can't stop smiling and naming off the appendages that only boys have that his new son will have. I'm embarrased since my mom is here in town visiting and has had to listen to him talk this way. :) It now seems more real and I'm excited that we can stop referring to the baby as "it" and now as "him" or "Crew." 20 weeks to go...

Camping

On Friday night we went camping for the first time with Mia. We went to a pretty place about 25 minutes away from our house. We went with a family in our ward who live 8 houses down from us. They have four little girls under the age of 7 and they LOVE Mia and she loves playing with them. The weather was beautiful when we left so we thought it would be a perfect night for camping. We had a good time roasting hot dogs and s'mores and Mia stayed up with us until we were ready for bed (a good 3 hours past her bedtime so we thought she'd sleep great). When we finally went to bed, Mia had a hard time falling asleep (she's not used to sleeping with anyone, especially not in a tent) and she tossed and turned and sat up and flopped down and turned every which way, which included her feet in Shawn's face. She FINALLY fell asleep. But then in the middle of the night the wind started up. We were encamped near a small creek with tons of trees and the wind going through them was SO loud plus a strap on our tent came undone and was flapping with the wind. Huge gusts of wind. Right before we left for camping, I had picked up a voicemail from my mom saying that she saw that tornadoes were heading through Texas and wondered if it was our area. I hadn't checked before we left but we had been told it was supposed to be great weather so I didn't worry about it... until the middle of the night when it was really windy and I was starting to panic because we were out away from tornado sirens and I was afraid the storm was going to turn into something ugly. (It wasn't raining though so I wasn't truly worried.) It was very loud and it had gotten really cold and Mia kept kicking down the covers so it was hard to stay warm. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep. But it was a good experience. We made memories. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures.

More Mia Pics

As you can see, Mia likes to dress up.

Brazilian Ju-Jitzu

I guess I should explain: I understand that anybody reading this Blog knows me well enough to know that this is not like me at all and probably think this is a joke; it is not. The other day I was watching "Fight Quest" a stupid show. They were talking about Brazilian Ju-Jitzu. Well in the strip mall closest to my house there is a Mixed Martial Arts place. I called, asked a few questions, and started shortly thereafter. My only motivation was to loose weight in a fun way. Running was beginning to hurt my knees and it's too cold to swim right now (it's only 70 degrees). So instead of hurting my knees running; I hurt everything else. I have bruises everywhere, all the time. I bought ear protection so I don't get cauliflower ear and a mouth guard so I don't ruin the smile Natalie fell in love with. I think I have a broken pinkie, and my feet are getting some thick callouses. I question why I am doing this every time I get submitted; which is often. I accidentally broke a nose (not my own). Brazilian Ju- Jitzu is basically wrestling till someone submits (you submit when an arm or leg is going to break from getting bent the wrong way or you are going to passout). We do Mixed Martial Arts some days. The other day we had boxing gloves on, one guy straddled the other and for five minutes got to hit the man lying on his back. The whole time I was wondering what I got myself into. The other day I had to wear a tie to work to cover up a bad mark across my neck. I think deep down inside Nat is strangely attracted to the new sport.

But it's a great workout. I'll post a picture when I get my first black eye.

I Am Elizabeth Bennet

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We Love Visitors

This weekend Aunt Megan and Uncle Troy came to visit. Mia LOVED them both. She sat on their laps and gave kisses. Shawn and I loved having them here too, we wish the weekend could have lasted longer. We did lots of visiting, some shopping, got pedicures/manicures and just enjoyed our time together. Thanks Megs and Troy for coming to see us - we can't wait until next time!